Confiding
by cait83
Summary: This is a freshie fic and takes place after Through the darkness


This story takes place sometime after "Through the darkness". A big hug to Jen for helping me beta this.

Rated R for safety

Disclaimer: If you recognize it then I don't own it. Ari is mine though, through and through.

Comments are still the only food my muses accept so please... send any comments you have, good or bad.

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Ari keyed herself into the FOS and looked around. It still felt strange to her to go to Mick's apartment, instead of his office, for their morning conversations. Even stranger was the fact that she was keying herself in, instead of knocking the door and hoping that Mick would open, which he usually did. The place seemed empty. She sighed and slowly walked around the room.

After the dream she just had, she had really felt like company. Maybe she would actually talk to Mick, tell him more about her past- all the things she hadn't told him yet. Maybe telling him would help her feel more at ease.

She made her way around the room, touching things here and there as she aimlessly wandered around the place. She felt at peace here- more so than she had in his office, really. At the same time, she felt a little out of place, like this wasn't exactly where she belonged. Reaching his office door, she hesitated, wondering if he was in there. Should she knock? Maybe he was busy- would he mind the intrusion?

The door buzzed and she turned around, expecting to see Mick and instead found herself watching Josef stroll in. She sighed with disappointment, and yet her heart fluttered a little with joy at seeing Josef again. Alone this time. He was always surrounded by girls and, despite her best efforts to seem happy and forward, she knew she didn't always match up to the others.

"Expecting someone else, babe?" Josef asked as he saw her disappointed face. Definitely not what he had expected from this girl. He had heard Mick speak of her, of course. At first with a hint of annoyance and now with affection. He knew Mick had invited her to the fold, and he knew the intention wasn't for her to be one of Mick's freshies. Despite the obvious affection between the two, neither seemed inclined to further their connection by adding the bite to the equation.

"Yes, and no", she fidgeted a little under his gaze. He raised an eyebrow, silently demanding further explanation. "This is Mick's apartment after all, so it's only natural that I'd expect him to walk through the door, isn't it?" She looked at him, wondering what she should do now. Was she expected to walk up and greet him like she'd seen the other girls do? Usually she just followed suit but… there was no one to watch today- they were alone. So what would he expect? She didn't really know him well enough to say...

"Shall I leave again then, babe?" He made a move to turn around and leave.

"No!" she said, a little louder than she'd intended and blushed slightly.

"You don't mind my presence then?" he asked, a small satisfied smile pursing his lips.

"No, I… I kinda like your presence", she said and smiled at him. He chuckled and walked over to the couch, taking a seat as he watched her.

"Why don't you join me then?" he gestured for her to take a seat next to him, and, after the tiniest hint of hesitation, she walked over and took the seat by his side. He watched her. When Mick had called him this morning saying Ari needed someone to talk to and Mick himself had to rush off on a case, he had wondered if the girl would talk to him. She seemed a little reserved around him, despite her best efforts to appear at ease. There was only one way to find out.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" he asked as he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He couldn't help but smile as he felt her relax a little and lean into him.

She looked up at him as she leaned into him. The strength she could feel in his body- well hidden underneath the expensive Armani suit though it was- somehow managed to calm her. His smile soothed her racing mind and after a few seconds she relaxed even more, curling up on the couch next to him and leaned even more against him.

"Just…. I had a nightmare", she began, knowing she had to talk to someone, and for some strange reason confident that she could trust Josef completely. Something about him made her relaxed- and yet she was strangely awake and excited at the same time.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked as he gently rubbed her shoulder.

"It... it was about what happened to me... when I was in Berlin", she stumbled a little on the words and couldn't help the shiver of fear at the memory. Surprising herself, she noticed that she had moved even closer to Josef, as if trying to hide against him.

"Would you mind telling me? It sometimes helps to talk about it." he said and continued to soothingly rub her shoulder and down her upper arm. He had noticed the change in her scent and the shiver as she curled closer and he had a feeling he wasn't going to like hearing what happened to her.

She looked up at him, hesitated a second. To his satisfaction, she then gave a slight nod and looked away as she started talking. He listened quietly to her story, soothingly moving his hand over her upper arm. As she curled up against him, hiding her face against his shirt, he gently moved her to his lap where she curled up even more. Her small hand balling into a fist around his shirt just above where his heart should be beating. He felt a surprising pang of pride that this girl trusted him. She was allowing him to touch her- comfort her- despite what had happened to her. One thing for sure... her trust was not something to be taken lightly, and he was immensely happy to see her give it to him so willingly.

He finally understood what Mick had meant with her not being comfortable around men. An experience like that could make any girl afraid of men. But, here she was. Curled up on his lap, letting him touch her, trusting him with her life whenever she fed him. It always amazed him how strong the women surrounding him were, and how much they managed to overcome.

As she finished her story, he sat soothingly rubbing her back, holding her close without constricting her. His fangs ached with the need to rip the man's throat out for hurting her, but he forced himself to keep his composure, mindful that he had to stay calm so she wouldn't be scared.

"Thank you for listening", she said quietly as she slowly relaxed again, her tears subsiding.

"Always here for my girls, babe" he said, smiling at her and was pleased when she smiled back at him. Gently he moved his index finger over her cheek, tracing the path of tears down to her jaw line. The sudden hitch in her breathing as his finger moved over her neck sent a surge of hunger through him. Her heart rate increased a little as she watched him, seeing his eyes flash in silver for fraction of a section then back to his usual warm brown.

"Anything I can do for you? As a thank you?" she asked, her anticipation building as she saw his eyes move almost hungrily over her neck. His eyes darted back to meet hers as her question registered with him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised by her offer. He was hungry, yes, but he hadn't expected her to offer so soon after reliving her past.

"I'm sure", she smiled at him. A small and slightly shaky smile, but it was a smile none the less. "I trust you"

He had to admit, hearing those words only minutes after she had been shaking with fear in his arms made him proud and slightly awed. Gently, he traced the racing blood underneath her silky skin. She leaned her head aside, exposing her neck further to him. He smiled softly at her and brushed away a few stray strands of her blonde hair, weaving his fingers through the long locks and cupped her neck before gently pulling her closer. He brushed his lips over her neck, taking in her scent. The faint ache in his fangs grew and he slowly let the vampire come forth. Fangs extended to gently press against her skin, eyes shifting to their silver blue. He waited, hovering above his chosen spot. His cold breath sending a shiver down her spine. Her anticipation grew, her heart rate increased as he waited. Not just yet… almost… there. She gasped with the initial pain as his fangs pierced her skin. The taste of her blood against his tongue made him purr as he slowly drank from her. Allowing her heart to set the pace, drawing the moment out for as long as he possibly could. His tongue gently massaged the skin on her neck, eliciting soft sighs of pleasure from her. All too soon for both of them, he sensed the change in her heart rate that meant he had to stop. With a regretful growl, he gently removed his fangs from her flesh and licked at the two wounds until they were closed. With one last brush of his cool lips, he raised his head to smile softly at her, his human façade back in place.

"Thank you, Ari. Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, soothingly rubbing her back as he pulled her close to his chest to let her relax. She nodded and smiled as she placed her head against his shoulder.

"Yes, Josef. I'm sure. Thank you." Her voice sounded slightly drowsy as she lay resting against him. It had to be the strain of too little sleep, emotional stress and now the loss of blood making her tired. He smiled at her.

"Sleep, babe. I'll make sure you get home safely", he said the words softly, almost whispering, as he continued to rub small circles on her back as she slowly fell asleep against him. He sat with the sleeping freshie in his arms for a while, listening to the slow and steady beating of her heart as he thought about her story. When the sky outside the windows slowly started to brighten, he picked up the girl and carried her home


End file.
